On May 27, the State Commission in charge of Coordinating the Events Dedicated to the 100^th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide held a forum at Karen Demirchyan Sport-Concert Complex in Yerevan. The following is the speech by chairperson of the Armenian Genocide Centennial Lebanon Central Body Seda Margosian-Khdshian on behalf of the Lebanon Central Body:

“For decades, the Armenian Genocide Lebanon Central Body has been collaborating with the three denominations of the Lebanese-Armenian community, including the Armenian Apostolic, Catholic and EvangelicalChurches, as well as the three Armenian political parties, including the Social-Democratic (Hnchakyan) Party (SDHK), the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D), the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (Ramgavar) (RAK) and the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU). Paying heed to the proposal of the State Commission of the Republic of Armenia for the Armenia-Diaspora partnership and to carry out events ahead of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, the Lebanon Central Body reorganized and was called the Armenian Genocide Centennial Lebanon Central Body, maintaining its representative status and working more closely with Armenia’s Ambassador to Lebanon, the State Commission in charge of Coordinating the Events Dedicated to the 100^th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and the director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute.

In the past three years, the Lebanon Central Body has planned and carried out large-scale political, cultural and artistic events, including demonstrations, youth vigils, exhibitions, a regional congress, film screenings and the presentation of two memoirs. With statements and various initiatives, the Central Body keeps the nation alert and aware of the issues related to the Armenian Genocide. During the session of the State Commission, the Lebanon Central Body presented the entire program of events to be held ahead of the Centennial with proposals for organization.

Lebanon stands out from the other Diaspora Armenian communities in terms of its uniqueness and for being a pan-national structure that is distinguished with its establishment and presence of the Holy See of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia and its former and current Supreme Patriarchs, the Patriarchal See of the Armenian Catholic Church and its former and current Patriarchs and the central headquarters of the Armenian Evangelical Churches. This fact, as well as the existence and activities of the adjunct bodies and structures make Lebanon significant in the Armenian Diaspora, as well as make it more responsible.

Having said that, we call your attention to the following:

The attempt to coordinate and organize the events dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide is the first attempt in the past 100 years. For the first time, Armenia and the Diaspora are united and are working together to mark the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, which is the most horrible events in the history of the Armenian people. I’m not referring to the efforts of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, which laid the foundation for another sphere of activity. This is another kind of partnership that is aimed at forming the nation’s mindset and creating a working style for our claims. It is an unprecedented event that everyone is focused on, be it Armenian or non-Armenian. Everyone is waiting to see what the events will lead to.

We believe the commemoration ceremonies will lay the foundation for raising the international community’s awareness about the Armenian Genocide and for the Armenia-Diaspora partnership. The ceremonies will also help us formulate our nation’s claims for political, cultural, financial and moral reparations. We especially need to take advantage of the potential of all Armenian politicians, intellectuals and cultural figures to develop a working style through which we can state the nation’s claims in the spheres of science, law, culture and the arts and, eventually, at the international level.

These are our expectations from this pan-national forum. This is also our message to all Armenians carrying the burden of the martyrs. This is the challenge for the Centennial, and we hope to lay the foundation for that with this faith.

We are very certain that Armenia and the Diaspora will mark the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide in a dignified manner and will turn it into a turning event, preparing ground for the claims of all Armenians, which is the basis for this meeting.”

Aztag